The electromagnetic transducer heads of cassette tape decks, namely the recording, playback and erasing heads, must be cleaned from time to time, because dirt is deposited on them during operation of the deck.
There are known cleaning cassettes that contain a cleaning tape, instead of a magnetic tape, driven by the mechanisms of the deck and guided along the heads. The wiping direction is thus fixed in the direction of travel of the tape, so that there is danger that gaps and steps in the surface to be cleaned that extend transverse to the directino of travel may not be adequately cleaned. Another disadvantage is that the cleaning tape is handled by the tape handling system of the tape deck. During ordinary operation of the cassette tape deck, tape travel is interrupted when the magnetic tape transmits a undefined signal. Since the cleaning tape does not carry any signal information, generally the handling system will not operate and hence will not drive the cleaning tape. In such cases, therefore, a special cleaning program must be provided for, with consequent inconvenience and added cost.
Also known are cleaning cassettes that contain a special movably mounted cleaning head connected to a drive means independent of the mechanisms of the tape deck. A brochure identified as "Order No. 13 354.00.3.93" from the company Nixdorf Computer AG, Paderborn, West Germany shows a cleaning cassette having a cleaning head pivoted in such a way that the working surface facing the transducer head moves transverse to the direction of tape travel. The cleaning head is urged in one direction of motion by a spring and can be moved manually against the action of the spring by means of an operating lever connected to the cleaning head.
A substantial disadvantage of this known cleaning cassette is that it can be used only for tape decks in which the cleaning cassette, and specifically the actuating lever, remain accessible after insertion in the cassette receptacle. Hence, the known cleaning cassette cannot be used, for example, in any tape decks where the cassette receptacle is closed by a lid after insertion of a cassette. The same applies to tape decks in which the cassette is inserted lengthwise. Another disadvantage is that the manual cleaning operation is difficult and laborious for the operator, and that the extent of cleaning depends on the operator's diligence.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved cleaning cassette which can be operated independently of the configuration of the cassette receptacle, so that the cleaning operation can be carried out automatically.